Twilight Gathering

I painted male cardinals almost exclusively for at least a year before I added in a female cardinal. It had more to do with the striking red color of the male cardinal, but when I add in the the more muted colored female cardinal, there seems to be even more color, and more interest in the composition. In this 12"w x 9"h piece, titled Twilight Gathering, the dark starry sky behind the cardinals in the birches cause the birds to really pop off the canvas. It catches your eye and draws your interest, just like that woodpecker did this morning as I was walking my dog through the deep snowy deer trails this morning. The forest was filled with birches, white pine, cedar and large blue outcroppings. Everything was quiet, the sky was overcast, and it was just peaceful and beautiful. And then there was that woodpecker, banging away as if he wanted to make sure everyone was awake. And after all his racket, everyone was. :)

This painting is part of a small collection of paintings and framed prints collectively called "Lights" that can be viewed at Bixby's Cafe in Duluth at 1608 Woodland Ave now through the end of April, 2014. The works from the show can also be viewed online on my personal website here.